Clinton takes Democrats by storm with simple message: Obama is ready – back him

BILL Clinton turned from villain to hero in the space of 20 minutes at the Democratic national convention in Denver. That was the time it took to deliver a no-holds-barred endorsement of his former rival, Barack Obama.

Putting aside the simmering tensions left from his role as "attack dog" in Hillary Clinton's primary campaign, Mr Clinton told a cheering audience that Mr Obama was "ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world".

It was an abrupt change of stance for Mr Clinton who, during the primary campaign, hammered Mr Obama as unfit to be president and described the Illinois senator's opposition to the Iraq war as a "fairy tale."

In his speech Mr Clinton was unambiguous in declaring Mr Obama a worthy commander-in-chief, urging the 18 million Democrats who had backed his wife in the primaries to switch allegiance.

"I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November," he said.

The cheers that rang around the convention centre were as much of relief as adoration, with delegates hoping a damaging split had now been healed.

To say it has been papered over with a Band-Aid might be closer to the truth, with the Clinton camp and Obama supporters still angry.

David Gergen, a former Clinton adviser, said: "It was the most effective, most powerful, most important speech since he left the presidency. We can't tell how it is going with voters, but from a Democrat point of view he teed it up for Barack Obama."

Party bosses hope the speech will reduce the 27 per cent of Hillary supporters who tell pollsters they will not vote for Mr Obama in the November election. That could be an election-losing figure, given that the candidate is now neck-and-neck with John McCain in the polls.

For Mr Clinton himself, the speech was an attempt at rehabilitation: the former Golden Boy of the Democratic Party saw his reputation sink into the mud during the primaries and he badly needs to recover prestige to remain a force in politics.

On Wednesday night all seemed forgiven. Delegates greeted his arrival on stage with a three-minute standing ovation leading to several false starts before Mr Clinton finally commanded: "Sit down!"

By turns funny and nostalgic, he told his audience that Mr Obama was as ready for office as he had been 16 years before. "Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief – sound familiar? It didn't work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history. And it won't work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history."

Democrats in the audience, who have watched the party lose two previous presidential elections, hope the party can now concentrate on fighting the Republicans rather than each other. A Chicago party activist, Leah Yarrow, said: "The main goal is to win the election."

Mr Clinton's supporters insist his departure from Denver ahead of Mr Obama's speech last night at a sports stadium was not a snub, more a case of passing the baton on to the next generation. After his performance in those 20 minutes, Democrats may be inclined to believe him.

McCain charm offensive

ALSO evident last night was what appears to be the Democrat's mantra of the coming campaign, an avoidance of personal attacks on John McCain.

"He loves our country every bit as much as we all do," Mr Clinton said of the Vietnam war veteran. But, he said, Mr McCain "still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years".

Similar language was used by Mr Obama's vice-presidential candidate, Joe Biden, who enthused: "John McCain is a friend of mine, and it really pains me to say this, but he's wrong."

The tactic is recognition by Mr Obama's handlers that, as a genuine war hero, personal attacks on Mr McCain are likely to backfire with the voters.

Tucker Bounds, Mr McCain's spokesman, said Mr Clinton's about turn, from sulking antagonist to full-blooded Obamacan, smacked of desperation by party bosses: "President Clinton was finally forced to testify that Senator Obama is ready to be president, despite his previous arguments to the contrary."